Bookie tried to play Yadav in Bangladesh league too

New Delhi, May 22 (IANS) Former Ranji cricket player Baburao Yadav, arrested in the IPL spot fixing scandal, had planned to play in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) with the help of one of the arrested bookies, police said Wednesday.

Yadav, who was arrested Monday, was taken to Bangladesh by bookie Sunil Bhatia in 2009 to introduce him to some of his contacts who could help Yadav play in the BPL, said a police official.

The police official said the information was given by Yadav and Bhatia, who are in police custody, during their interrogation.

Yadav could not play in the BPL as the anti-corruption team of International Cricket Council (ICC) identified Bhatia as a bookie and he returned from Bangladesh to avoid arrest in Bangladesh.

Baburao Yadav was arrested Tuesday in Delhi in the Indian Premier League spot fixing scandal.

Yadav had come in contact with Bhatia in 2007 during the now defunct Indian Cricket League (ICL) and was in touch with him till 2008.

Bhatia also tried to spot fix in an ICL match with the help of Yadav but they could not succeed, added the police official, declining to be named.

However, Bhatia claimed that he spot fixed in some matches of the ICL, police sources said.

"After the ICL players were banned, Yadav went to play in the Kolkata League. He was getting only Rs.2,000 to Rs.3,000 per match and wanted to earn more. It was then Bhatia told him that he has good contacts with a prominent Bangladeshi player and he will help get him into a team playing Bangladesh Premier League," said the official.

"In 2009, Bhatia took Yadav to Bangladesh. As Bhatia is a known fixer, an ICC anti-corruption unit spotted him there. Bhatia got a whiff about it and he along with Yadav returned to India," said the official.

Police sources said Bhatia, who has "good contacts" with Bangladeshi players, may have fixed matches there but they have nothing yet to corroborate this.

"Bhatia has claimed that he has fixed matches in the Bangladesh Premier League. He said he knows some Bangladeshi players very well," the official said.

He confirmed that Bhatia was arrested in 2002 in a murder case and got bail in 2006.

"After his release from jail, Bhatia opened a Sai Temple in Nagpur. But he did not mend his ways and he used to cheat people. To avoid police trap, he decided to run a temple," said the official.

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